Medical Marijuana As A Treatment Option

Synthetic cannabinoids were created to bind the same receptors as the active compound in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 to obtain the psychotropic effects such as euphoria. CB1 receptors are located within the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, in addition to peripheral organs such as the lungs, liver, and kidney. CB2 receptors are noted to be located on immune and hematopoietic cells, therefore desired and toxic

In 1996, California Proposition 215 passed with 55.6% votes in favor and 44.4% against it (Baird 2011). That is more California votes than Bush, Clinton, or most other elected presidents have received. Proposition 215 was the first statewide medical marijuana voter initiative adopted in the USA. This proposition was envisioned by San Francisco marijuana activist and owner of the San Francisco Cannabis Buyer’s Club, Dennis Peron, in memory of his partner, who smoked marijuana to help with symptoms of AIDS. Initially, California claimed its support for the legalization of medical marijuana by voting 80% in favor of Proposition P, the San Francisco medical marijuana initiative in 1991 (Baird 2011). Three California polls show a majority siding with Proposition 215, which would require only a ' 'doctor 's recommendation ' ' for marijuana use by patients with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma ' 'or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief (Goldberg 1996). ' ' A Field Poll ending Oct. 9, 1996 showed that 56 percent of those surveyed would vote for the measure, a private poll in the same period by the campaign for Proposition 215 found 57 percent supporting it, and a Los Angeles Times poll found 58 percent in favor. The opposition

Under Federal law, only FDA-approved medications are legal to prescribe—and marijuana is not one of those approved medications. Still, more than a dozen States have approved its use to alleviate a variety of symptoms. Many of marijuana’s effects (including its psychoactive or mind-altering properties) stem from an ingredient called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which resembles a chemical that the body and brain make naturally. THC attaches to specialized proteins, called cannabinoid receptors (CBRs), to which the body’s natural chemicals normally bind. Along with THC, the marijuana plant contains over 400 other chemical compounds, including other cannabinoids that may be biologically active and vary from plant to plant. This makes it difficult to consider its use as a medicine even though some of marijuana’s specific ingredients may offer benefits.

The use of medical marijuana (slang: Acapulco gold, ace, bhang, cannabis, hash, dope, ganja, grass, weed, hashish oil, hemp, home-grown, honey oil, indica, Jamaican roach, sativa, sinse, sinsemilla, tea, weed oil) has a been a major topic of debate for countless years. People all around the United States have seen propaganda of some sort regarding the legalization of marijuana. For example, with the ongoing discussion of legalization throughout the states, it’s abruptly mentioned in the news, everyday conversations, school topics for debate, and within stories of social media. In the article, “Is marijuana prohibition coming to an end”, Michelle Johnson a North Carolina journalist, states “Legalizing marijuana for a medical or recreational

The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which is also the most responsible for its intoxicating effects, is known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is one of the cannabinoids found in marijuana, and there are over sixty of them. It is the cannabinoid that produces the high, and although there are other cannabinoids present, the effect is different with the absence of THC. They interact with THC to affect its impact in a variety of ways: enhancing or attenuating it, speeding up or slowing down its onset, and influencing how long the effect lasts (Caulkin 7).

Marijuana is composed of approximately over four hundred chemicals. According to the Mayo Clinic "Marijuana contains at least 60 chemicals called cannabinoids. Researchers are evaluating how effective some of these cannabinoids might be in controlling symptoms of certain medical conditions. For example: THC, an abbreviation for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC is the main component responsible for marijuana's mind-altering effect. It also may help treat signs and symptoms such as nausea and vomiting that are associated with a number of medical conditions. Cannabinol and cannabidiol, these compounds have some of the properties of THC, but cause less psychoactive effects — the high. [...]” Medical marijuana can be used to treat a variety of illnesses ranging from anxiety to more life threatening diseases like cancer.

Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a controversial topic because many find it beneficial as others find the usage to be recreational. Throughout the years, medical marijuana has gone through periods of times in which it was legal and illegal. Over the years laws have been developed in order to try and regulate the usage of the drug. Studies have shown many the benefits of treating diseases and symptoms. Today it is used in treatment with many different diseases and disorders such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis. As medical marijuana has different species and uses of the product, it is important to depict where the drug can be used for treatment. The usage of this drug enables patients to have a more positive and livable outcome with treatments.

What is Marijuana? Well, it is a plant that has many medical benefits and dates back almost 12,000 years ago. The plant has many components within itself like THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, it is the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high. Another component is CBD, Cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive and provides a wide range of medical benefits. There are eight states that allow for the plant to be used recreationally and twenty-nine states that allow the use of the plant for medical purposes only.

Marijuana has many medical purposes also. The cannabis extract was available as a medicine legally in this country until 1937, and was sold as a nerve tonic-but mankind has been using cannabis medicines much longer than that. Marijuana appears in almost every known book of medicine written by ancient scholars and wise men. It is usually ranked among the top medicines, called 'panaceas', a word which means 'cure-all'. The list of diseases which cannabis can be used for includes: multiple sclerosis, cancer treatment, AIDS (and AIDS treatment), glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, pruritis, sclerodoma, severe pain, and dystonia. This list does not even consider the other medicines which can be made out of marijuana-these are just some of the illnesses for which people smoke or eat whole marijuana today. There are over 60 chemicals in marijuana which may have medical uses. It is relatively easy to extract these into food or beverage, or into some sort of lotion, using butter, fat, oil, or alcohol. One chemical, cannabinol, may be useful to help people who cannot sleep.

The plant is believed to haveoriginated from the mountainous region of India. It is also believed that 80% of cannabis entering the UK comes from Morocco, and the herbal form comes from Jamaica. Cannabis contains more than 400 chemicals. The main psycholoactive ingerdient id delta-9-tetahydrocannabinol, or ‘THC’.

Studies have determined that two of the major cannabinoids found in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)

There exist three various forms of the original cannabis plant; marijuana, hash oil and hashish. Marijuana is made using dried leaves and flowers from the actual plant (ncpic, 2015). The main active ingredient in cannabis, the psychoactive agent, is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabidiol (CBD), also a component of marijuana, is thought to not produce the commonly associated feeling of a ‘high’ and can be beneficial when treating childhood epilepsy and various other conditions. The effect that marijuana has on the central nervous system (CNS) is broad and varied, depending on the location of the CB receptors found within the brain, as can be seen in Figure 2.

The earliest use of medical marijuana came from ancient China. In 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor, Shennog, wrote a book that included cannabis (marijuana) as a treatment for many conditions. He thought cannabis was helpful for constipation, gout and rheumatism. In the same way, researchers found a second century ancient Egyptian text called the Fayyum Medical Papyrus that is believed to contain the earliest record of using cannabis as a treatment for tumors. Lastly, the ancient Greeks used cannabis to dress wounds and sores on their horses after battle. They also gave it to humans for ear pain and inflammation. The use of cannabis as medicine dispersed throughout Asia, the eastern coast of Africa, Middle east and finally to America.

Marijuana is the most essential and therapeutically active substance that has been discovered by man. Therefore, medical cannabis refers to the use of the cannabis drug as recommended herbal therapy by physicians. This is mostly known as antiemetic. The experimental demonstration of marijuana’s significant properties thousands of years ago proves that it is one of the most essential substances that can be used in manufacturing drugs (Minamide). As provided from the ancient Indians, its psychoactive properties were realized which triggered its use by doctors to treat a variety of ailments and illnesses. This argument has been supported by the modern scientific experiment in the United States. Researchers have found that marijuana was greatly important in treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, pain reliever mostly in childbirth. In addition, they also found out that smoking marijuana reduces pain, especially with patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, and chemotherapy (Minamide). In the recent past, marijuana has been found to be an important substance on AIDs patients where it reduces nausea, vomiting, and appetite loss. Moreover, it was recognized as a significant substance in relieving glaucoma eye pressure. It was also shown that it plays a vital role in Multiple Sclerosis. It reduces muscle pain, spasticity, and reduces diseases that cause body tremors. Epilepsy,

As of April 2017, 29 states in the United States have legalized medical marijuana. That now makes 58% of the 50 states that have recognized the medical benefits that marijuana can provide. Marijuana should be legalized in all states for health purposes because it can reduce seizure activity for those with epilepsy, provide better long term relief to people that have chronic pain (stemming from a variety of health issues) versus the use of opioids, and has been effective in not only treating the symptoms and side effects of cancer, but in killing cancer cells in preclinical trials as well.